August 31, 1920. Building.

On this date in 1920, John Lloyd Wright was given a patent for what would become Lincoln Logs.

Wright had been marketing the toy logs since 1918, and had based them upon his observations of Tokyo's Imperial Hotel's foundation, designed by his father, Frankly Lloyd Wright.   The foundation featured an interlocking log structure to give it flexibility during earthquakes.

The standing hotel following the devastating 1923 earthquake.

An election held on this date in Hannibal Missouri was the first to be conducted following the 19th Amendment going into effect.  Marie Ruoff Byrum was the first woman voter to cast a ballot to have been given the right to vote under the amendment.

Of course, women had been voting for some time in states that had adopted universal suffrage on their own, including Wyoming's female voters.

Mrs Byrum lived until age 73.  She had been involved in politics and had retired to Florida in her later years.

Tennessee, which had been the 36th state to vote to add the 19th Amendment, on this day voted to rescind their ratification in an effort to reverse course on it.  The effort came too late as retroactive post ratification rescissions are not allowable, assuming recessions are at all, which itself isn't clear.

It's odd that it was attempted in this context.  If the vote had preceded the adoption of the Amendment that would have raised a Constitutional question, but doing it after the ratification would fairly obviously do nothing.

1862 French map used as a template in 1920.

French Genera Henri Gouraud issued a decree that set Lebanon's borders in anticipation of creating a separate Lebanese territory the following day.

An Appeal to the States of the World by the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All The Orient

Still there yet

It's interesting to note that among the very first politicians, and indeed the first "local" politician, to hit the streets in Beirut was. . . Emmanuel Macron, the President of France.

He received nearly universal praise from the Lebanese, something he doesn't receive in France.

While there, he called for a new French relationship with its former colony, and for reforms in Lebanon, all of which was well received by the Lebanese.

And hence the strange relationship between France, which sees Lebanon as an extension of itself somehow, and Lebanon, which looks upon is former colonial rulers in ways that often express more admiration than it gives itself locally.

The Grim Measure of Force.

Yesterday, tragedy struck Beirut, Lebanon, a city that's had more than its fair share of misery.



As has been reported, the explosion was caused by a fire that spread and detonated a very large quantity of nitrate fertilizer stored at a warehouse on the docks.  The explosion was of a gigantic magnitude.  So large, in fact, that some Lebanese authorities at first wondered if they'd been hit by an atomic device.  That speculation, ironically enough, was strangely timely, as today is the 75th anniversary of the American use of an atomic device on Hiroshima.

So how does this historic event compare to other such blasts?

Should we even make that comparison for that matter? Well, we will, simply because perhaps such things are important to know.

As big as the blast was, and it was really huge, it still doesn't replace the accidental blast that's oddly analogous that occured at Halifax on December 6, 1917.  We marked the centennial of that tragedy here:

Roads to the Great War: Halifax: A Tragedy with a Unique Dimension

Roads to the Great War: Halifax: A Tragedy with a Unique Dimension: By most measures, the greatest non-nuclear explosion in history occurred in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in December 1917. The approximate casual...

Halifax was a 2.9 kiloton explosion.  Absolutely massive, and actually now larger than the lowest low yield atomic weapons in terms of their potential, but thankfully unexploited, yields. 

In contrast, the Beirut blast seems to be about 2.04 kt.  Massive, but still 1/3d less than the huge Halifax detonation.  Still, that yield is below the lowest, low yield nuclear weapons, although weapons in that class could legitimately be regarded as extremely low yield, in context.

Indeed, that's what makes them dangerous.  As big as the Beirut explosion was, it so far below Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which we'll mention below, that there's no comparison. That fact is what might tempt the use of a very low yield nuclear weapon. . .which might provoke use of higher yield ones.

Hiroshima's mushroom cloud taken some minutes later and from a distance of six miles.

Hiroshima, whose 75th anniversary is today, was a 15kt atomic bomb.

Imagine that.  It was seven times as powerful as the blast in Beirut earlier this week.

The Oppressed and the Vapid

I don't know who Rose McGowan is.  A review of her bio puts her pretty much in the Mindless Left wing Entertainment Set whose views and claimed personal attributes are whatever is currently on the far left, which means today she advocates for an animal, is "non binary", etc.  If it was 1920, and not 2020, she'd advocate for deporting Socialist to revolutionary Russia and for Prohibition.  If it was 1930 she'd be a Communist and a wet.

It's progressive, you know, to be on the "right side of history", even though that often isn't where history actually goes.

Anyhow, she apparently made a statement (I think on Twitter) apologizing for the American strikes in Iraq against an Iranian backed militia, and, more recently, the noted Iranian general Soleimani, apologizing to Iran and saying something about people moving there.

That was stupid.

Most Iranians aren't all that keen on Iranian militias or the Iranian quasi theocratic government.  The Iranian quasi theocratic government, for that matter, would find every single thing Rose McGowan says abhorrent, and pretty much take the necessary steps to shut her up, and cause her to put more clothing on.  There is, we might note, no sanctioned "Me Too" movement in Iran.  An apology in this context is pretty much like apologizing to Nazi Germany for Nazi agitators in pre Anschluss Austria. A person would have to be a real dumb ass to do it.

Naturally, this proved predictable responses on Twitter. . .sort of.

The most interesting ones I saw, however, were from young women.

Young Lebanese women.

Young Christian Lebanese women.

Some writing in English, others in French, they really wanted McGowan to go to Iran and stay there. they were also pretty much advocating for any level of violence necessary to deal with Iran and its militias, and they knew just what that meant.  They were glad to see Soleimani dead.

It's interesting how the vapid set doesn't exist where backs are up against the wall.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Update:

We had an error in this thread.  McGowan didn't say anything about going to Iran, and she's since qualified and somewhat apologized for her earlier comments.  We noted that in another thread put up today, here:

Indeed, probably the most amusing freak out was that of Rose McGowan. She's an actress, and therefore is part of the vapid set, who posted a gif of an Iranian flag with a sunny and a smiling bear, or something, on it, with this text:

Deaar #Iran, The USA has disrespected your country, your flag, your people. 52% of us humbly apologize. We want peace with your nation. We are being held hostage by a terrorist regime. We do not know how to escape. Please do not kill us. #Soleimani

That's really stupid.

That it was stupid became pretty obvious really quickly and she began to back-peddle enduing up with this:

Ok, so I freaked out because we may have any impending war. Sometimes it’s okay to freak out on those in power. It’s our right. That is what so many Brave soldiers have fought for. That is democracy. I do not want any more American soldiers killed. That’s it.

Oh horse sh**.  This was an example of vapidness blowing up on the commentator.  There's a lot of it around right now.  And its just not very smart.

Having said that, McGowan's comments are stupid and really show why the American habit of listening to actors or actresses on anything is likewise stupid.

It also shows, I think, why the young Lebanese women I noted acted with rage.  The Lebanese have put up with around three decades of a dedicated Iranian backed effort to destroy the Lebanese democracy and replace it with a Shiite theocracy.  I'd be made in their situation too.

And again it shows a difference in prospective. A bunch of American's running around panicking about being drafted and the like doesn't mean much if you've been under some species of siege for thirty years.

Sunday Morning Scene: Armenian Catholic Divine Liturgy on Easter from Beirut, Lebanon 5 April ...

Sunday Morning Scene: Ελληνορθόδοξοι Ύμνοι Μεγάλης Σαρακοστής στην αραβική από τη Χορωδία Επαρχίας Τριπόλεως του Λιβάνου.

Something a bit different, for most of us, this Easter Sunday.

Sykes Picot Agreement Ratified, May 16, 1916

On May 16, 1916, a secret agreement between the British and French was ratified.  It provided:

t is accordingly understood between the French and British governments:

That France and Great Britain are prepared to recognize and protect an independent Arab states or a confederation of Arab states (a) and (b) marked on the annexed map, under the suzerainty of an Arab chief. That in area (a) France, and in area (b) Great Britain, shall have priority of right of enterprise and local loans. That in area (a) France, and in area (b) Great Britain, shall alone supply advisers or foreign functionaries at the request of the Arab state or confederation of Arab states.

That in the blue area France, and in the red area Great Britain, shall be allowed to establish such direct or indirect administration or control as they desire and as they may think fit to arrange with the Arab state or confederation of Arab states.

That in the brown area there shall be established an international administration, the form of which is to be decided upon after consultation with Russia, and subsequently in consultation with the other allies, and the representatives of the Shereef of Mecca.

That Great Britain be accorded (1) the ports of Haifa and Acre, (2) guarantee of a given supply of water from the Tigres and Euphrates in area (a) for area (b). His Majesty's government, on their part, undertake that they will at no time enter into negotiations for the cession of Cyprus to any third power without the previous consent of the French government.

That Alexandretta shall be a free port as regards the trade of the British empire, and that there shall be no discrimination in port charges or facilities as regards British shipping and British goods; that there shall be freedom of transit for British goods through Alexandretta and by railway through the blue area, or (b) area, or area (a); and there shall be no discrimination, direct or indirect, against British goods on any railway or against British goods or ships at any port serving the areas mentioned.

That Haifa shall be a free port as regards the trade of France, her dominions and protectorates, and there shall be no discrimination in port charges or facilities as regards French shipping and French goods. There shall be freedom of transit for French goods through Haifa and by the British railway through the brown area, whether those goods are intended for or originate in the blue area, area (a), or area (b), and there shall be no discrimination, direct or indirect, against French goods on any railway, or against French goods or ships at any port serving the areas mentioned.

That in area (a) the Baghdad railway shall not be extended southwards beyond Mosul, and in area (b) northwards beyond Samarra, until a railway connecting Baghdad and Aleppo via the Euphrates valley has been completed, and then only with the concurrence of the two governments.

That Great Britain has the right to build, administer, and be sole owner of a railway connecting Haifa with area (b), and shall have a perpetual right to transport troops along such a line at all times. It is to be understood by both governments that this railway is to facilitate the connection of Baghdad with Haifa by rail, and it is further understood that, if the engineering difficulties and expense entailed by keeping this connecting line in the brown area only make the project unfeasible, that the French government shall be prepared to consider that the line in question may also traverse the Polgon Banias Keis Marib Salkhad tell Otsda Mesmie before reaching area (b).

For a period of twenty years the existing Turkish customs tariff shall remain in force throughout the whole of the blue and red areas, as well as in areas (a) and (b), and no increase in the rates of duty or conversions from ad valorem to specific rates shall be made except by agreement between the two powers.

There shall be no interior customs barriers between any of the above mentioned areas. The customs duties leviable on goods destined for the interior shall be collected at the port of entry and handed over to the administration of the area of destination.

It shall be agreed that the French government will at no time enter into any negotiations for the cession of their rights and will not cede such rights in the blue area to any third power, except the Arab state or confederation of Arab states, without the previous agreement of his majesty's government, who, on their part, will give a similar undertaking to the French government regarding the red area.

The British and French government, as the protectors of the Arab state, shall agree that they will not themselves acquire and will not consent to a third power acquiring territorial possessions in the Arabian peninsula, nor consent to a third power installing a naval base either on the east coast, or on the islands, of the red sea. This, however, shall not prevent such adjustment of the Aden frontier as may be necessary in consequence of recent Turkish aggression.

The negotiations with the Arabs as to the boundaries of the Arab states shall be continued through the same channel as heretofore on behalf of the two powers.

It is agreed that measures to control the importation of arms into the Arab territories will be considered by the two governments.

I have further the honor to state that, in order to make the agreement complete, his majesty's government are proposing to the Russian government to exchange notes analogous to those exchanged by the latter and your excellency's government on the 26th April last. Copies of these notes will be communicated to your excellency as soon as exchanged.I would also venture to remind your excellency that the conclusion of the present agreement raises, for practical consideration, the question of claims of Italy to a share in any partition or rearrangement of turkey in Asia, as formulated in article 9 of the agreement of the 26th April, 1915, between Italy and the allies.

His Majesty's government further consider that the Japanese government should be informed of the arrangements now concluded.

Public Domain File:MPK1-426 Sykes Picot Agreement Map signed 8 May 1916.jpg, from Wikipedia Commons.    Royal Geographical Society (Map), Mark Sykes & François Georges-Picot.  This is because it is one of the following:

1. It is a photograph created by the United Kingdom Government and taken prior to 1 June 1957; or
2. It was commercially published prior to 1966; or
3. It is an artistic work other than a photograph or engraving (e.g. a painting) which was created by the United Kingdom Government prior to 1966.

HMSO has declared that the expiry of Crown Copyrights applies worldwide

 

The agreement has gone down in history as being an infamous one, leading to the charge that the British and French carved up the Middle East without the consultation of their Arab allies, then in revolt against the Ottoman Empire.